01. Blackest Eyes02. Trains03. Lips Of Ashes04. The Sound Of Muzak05. Gravity Eyelids06. Wedding Nails07. Prodigal08. .309. The Creator Has A Mastertape10. Heartattack In A Layby11. Strip The Soul12. Collapse The Light Into Earth

The fact that Porcupine Tree caught my attention is that mainman Steven Wilson had helped Opeth on co-writing many songs on Damnation and Black Water Park, so I was sure I will not be deceived by this release "In Absentia," released in September 2002 via Lava/Atlantic Records. I was very excited to hear what an Opeth manager could offer and what "In Absentia" is all about.

The best songs on this album are Lips of Ashes, Gravity Eyelids, Wedding Nails, and Heartattack in a Lay By. The whole album is great, but those aforementioned tracks are some of the most fantastic songs created.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that this album is a minor disappointment. By focusing on a harder-edged sound the band has almost completely lost the hypnotic beauty of their earlier work. The sound and production is quite cold and colourless. Monochromatic, if you will.

That's not to say that there aren't some great songs here. The first four, for example. "Heartattack in a Layby" is heartbreaking and "Collapse the Light into Earth" is stunning. The rest tends to blend together most of the time. Maybe it's just me. Overall, I prefer Deadwing.

This is one of my favorite Porcupine Tree albums for how varied it is. It does a great job of showcasing their hypnotic side as well as some of their heavier tendencies. The only downside would be that it doesn't go too far either way like some of their other work.

I love this album, so many great songs to choose from. There's just so much to enjoy, from the anthemic "Trains", to the gut-wrenching "Collapse The Light Into Earth" to a particularly tasty bass line in "Strip The Soul" (which in itself is another kick-ass, harder edged song as well). I love the drum line in "The Creator Has A Mastertape" also. I could go on, but it would probably end up being an entire essay mentioning things I love about this release. Simply awesome...

I love this album, so many great songs to choose from. There's just so much to enjoy, from the anthemic "Trains", to the gut-wrenching "Collapse The Light Into Earth" to a particularly tasty bass line in "Strip The Soul" (which in itself is another kick-ass, harder edged song as well). I love the drum line in "The Creator Has A Mastertape" also. I could go on, but it would probably end up being an entire essay mentioning things I love about this release. Simply awesome...

You only forgot to mention that it deserves a 10 I'm kidding really. It's just that this is one of my all time favourite albums, hands down.

I love this album, so many great songs to choose from. There's just so much to enjoy, from the anthemic "Trains", to the gut-wrenching "Collapse The Light Into Earth" to a particularly tasty bass line in "Strip The Soul" (which in itself is another kick-ass, harder edged song as well). I love the drum line in "The Creator Has A Mastertape" also. I could go on, but it would probably end up being an entire essay mentioning things I love about this release. Simply awesome...

You only forgot to mention that it deserves a 10 I'm kidding really. It's just that this is one of my all time favourite albums, hands down.

The only reason I gave it a 9 is that I feel it sometimes drags a little in some parts, but that's just me personally, there's too much to love for me to really complain about . And I've reserved that honor for Fear of A Blank Planet anyway.